BDI slides below 700 as bloodbath engulfs dry bulk

The carnage seen across the dry bulk sector passed another milestone on Thursday with the Baltic Dry Index (BDI) sliding below 700 points.

While January is rarely a good time for dry bulk the past month has been one of the worst on record. The BDI closed out January, sliding 53 points, to finish on 668 points.

A deadly broken dam at a Vale mine in Brazil has combined with cyclones in Australia and pig flu in China at a time where trading volumes were already under pressure. One owner contacted by Splash yesterday described conditions ahead of next week’s Chinese New Year as a “bloodbath”.

The all time low for the BDI was reached on February 10, 2016 when the index hit 290 points. With Chinese New Year next week the BDI is expected to slide further in the coming days.

Starting out with the Informa Group in 2000 in Hong Kong, Sam Chambers became editor of Maritime Asia magazine as well as East Asia Editor for the world’s oldest newspaper, Lloyd’s List. In 2005 he pursued a freelance career and wrote for a variety of titles including taking on the role of Asia Editor at Seatrade magazine and China correspondent for Supply Chain Asia. His work has also appeared in The Economist, The New York Times, The Sunday Times and The International Herald Tribune.